Chapter 7
The five older capos arrived before sunrise.
I wanted tired faces.
People lie differently when ceremony is gone.
No polished dinner.
No whiskey.
No speeches.
Just a study that still smelled faintly of broken glass and sedative.
Victor sat restrained.
Carlo sat apart.
Dante stood behind me.
Elena and Sophia had moved upstairs with Titan.
Good.
I did not need the child turned into evidence.
She had done enough.
I told the capos what happened.
Not every theory.
Facts.
Victor tampered with my drink.
Security cameras were disabled.
Titan was conditioned to block aid.
Carlo helped access the system.
Five men had discussed temporary command.
When I finished, Captain Doyle spoke.
“We never authorized drugging you.”
“I believe you.”
Victor laughed.
“Cowards.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
Then toward Doyle.
“They were willing to benefit from something they were afraid to describe.”
That was different.
Doyle lowered his eyes.
Another capo, Mercer, said:
“You’ve been distracted.”
There it was.
“By what?”
He hesitated.
I waited.
“Household issues.”
“Name one.”
“The kennel conflict.”
“Victor created it.”
Silence.
“The maid situation.”
“What maid situation?”
Mercer looked uncomfortable.
“Elena bringing her child to work.”
I almost laughed.
A three-year-old had saved my life and old men still classified her as a staffing inconvenience.
“Anything else?”
“You canceled a council dinner for a sick employee.”
“Yes.”
“He was a driver.”
“He had a heart attack.”
“You sent your personal physician.”
“Yes.”
Mercer sighed.
“Exactly.”
I leaned back.
“What do you think leadership is?”
His face hardened.
“Priorities.”
“Good.”
I pointed toward Victor.
“My priority is removing men who drug me.”
Then toward Carlo.
“Second is removing men who help them hide.”
Silence.
“And somewhere far below that is worrying whether you think compassion looks expensive.”
Nobody spoke.
I continued.
“You may disagree with how I lead.”
Good.
Some looked relieved.
“You may not create an acting head by manufacturing my collapse.”
Relief disappeared.
Better.
Then Doyle asked:
“What happens to Victor?”
I looked at my cousin.
He looked back.
“First, he tells me why he needed Titan involved.”
Victor’s face changed.
Finally.
Because the dog was not only delay.
May you like
Titan had another purpose.
And Victor had not told Carlo or the capos what it was.
